Louis D. Gibbs, New York Supreme Court Justice, Dies

Funeral services for the late Justice Louis D. Gibbs, member of the New York State Supreme Court, will be held Tuesday morning in Riverside Memorial Chapel, 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, New York. Dr. Nathan Krass, rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, will officiate, and burial will be in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, L. I. The body lies in state in the chapel.

Flags on the Bronx and New York County Supreme Court buildings were lowered to half staff when the death of the Supreme Court Justice was learned of. Justice Gibbs died at Glen Springs Sanitarium, Watkins Glen, N. Y., where he had gone for rest and treatment three weeks ago. He had been ill for several months and death was caused by heart disease. He was 48 years old.

Justice Gibbs had been a member of the New York Supreme Court since January 1, 1925. In 1913 he served in the Legislature, where he was active in legislation which made the Bronx a separate county in 1914 and was then elected the first judge of Bronx County Subsequently Judge Gibbs was re-elected and so popular was his performance on the bench that he was indorsed by both parties. His popularity grew, despite his alleged severity with criminals. Because of this severity, it was necessary for him to have a bodyguard.

His fortrightness and assurance in dealing with cases brought him a wide reputation and in 1924 he was nominated and elected to the Supreme Court, assuming the position January 1, 1925.

Born in Lodz, Poland, October 16, 1880, Louis DeWitt Gibbs was brought to this country at the age of four. He grew up on the East Side of New York, where he attended public school, Cooper Union Institute and the New York Law School.

He was a member of the New York County Lawyers Association, New York State and American Bar Associations, Independent Order Bnai Brith, and Montefiore Congregation.

He is survived by his wife, Anna White Gibbs, a son, Howard, and two daughters, Harriet and Isadora.

Messages of condolence on the death of Justice Gibbs were issued by many in legal and political circles, including Justice Peter Schmuck, Justice Alfred Frankenthaler and Justice John L. Walsh, Joseph V. McKee, president of the New York Board of Aldermen, said: “The state has lost an eminent jurist and the City of New York has lost a citizen whose life was devoted to public service.”

A debate on the question of the Jewish Agency for Palestine will be held on Saturday night, March 16th, at the auditorium of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, New York, under the auspices of Avukah, the American Student Zionist Federation. The debaters will be Maurice Samuel and Jacob DeHaas. Mr. Samuel will uphold the affirmative of the proposition, “Resolved: that the steps taken to form the Jewish Agency are in the best interests of Palestine and the Jewish people,” while Mr. De Hass will take the negative. Professor Israel Wechsler of Columbia University will be Chairman.